He was still “sowing his wild oats” and had planned to do so for many years to come before settling down. Shitting hell. No. Not happening.
“Yes,” his beast growled back.
“Alpha, you have to accept this or you’ll end up going nuts. Like bampot crazy and you’ll have the Council comin’ and taking you away. I shit you not, Kade.”
Kade prowled around, his beast yelling in his head, his friend talking nineteen to the dozen, and his insides churning enough to make him puke. “This can’t be happening.”
“It is, so just get yer heid in the game and accept it.” Lennox came over, patting his shoulder. “I’m going with you. Just in case there’s trouble. So is Dara. Fraser will take care of the Pack until we’re back.”
“What? Now?” Kade shook his head vehemently. “We don’t have supplies and I’ve got work to take care of.”
Lennox smirked, nodding toward two large backpacks lying on the ground. “We brought some supplies, clothes and such, but we can hunt for food. As for work, I told you, Fraser will take care of it until we’re back.”
Kade shook his head again, striding away, his beast arguing inside his head as his stomach churned. Funnily enough, he noticed he was no longer hungry.
Raising his head, he sought the Cairngorms, staring at the snow-capped range to calm himself. He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, but it was sometime later he felt soft fur and a wet nose nudging his hand. Looking down he met Dara’s dark brown eyes, his Wolf whining up at him.
“Okay boy, I’m all right.”
“Are you?” Lennox asked quietly.
Kade could sense the concern flowing from both of his Betas, great waves running over him and causing his inner-Alpha to rise and appease them. “I’ll be okay. I guess we have a mission on our hands, laddies. Seems I’ve got to go find me a mate.”
“Thank feck,” Lennox said, laughing. “I thought you were going to go mental on me earlier.”
“Me?” Kade feigned a hurt expression. “Now when have I ever done that? No, wait, don’t answer that.”
Dara’s Wolf lifted its head, howling, as Lennox’s laughter erupted. “Aye, right.”
“So, tell me, did Fraser give you any idea how I do this impossible task?”
Lennox’s eyes slid away as he shrugged. “He was a little vague on that but he did say to allow your Wolf to lead the way. Supposedly, he’ll point you in the right direction.”
“He said that, did he?”
“Aye,” Lennox looked away. “Sorry, he wasn’t much help with details, just that if you acknowledged what was wrong, then nature would take over, and the Goddess would lead you to your mate.”
“Oh, so the Goddess is going to help me now?” Kade asked, in disbelief.
“That’s what he said,” Lennox replied.
Kade stood for a moment longer, realizing that if what the auld Beta said was true that his life would never be the same again. Was he ready for the changes a mate would bring? He wasn’t sure. All he knew was that he had to do something and it appeared that this was the something he had to do. He took a deep breath in, exhaling slowly, before turning back to his friends.
“Come on, let’s get started.” Kade looked over at the packs. “And just so you know, I’m not carrying those.”
Dara padded over, his large beast easily picking one up in its jaws before Lennox transformed and did the same. Kade took a deep breath in, forcing his own change, his Wolf eager to be on its way, its mind now focused on one thing only.
Finding their mate.
Dang. This was not the way he’d envisioned the day ending.
Kirsty ran through the trees, Leia, her German Shepherd, a few strides ahead. Her dog’s dark eyes flitting back to her repeatedly as she whined. “Shush, babe, they’ll hear you.”
Kirsty’s heart hammered in her chest as they ran, knowing if they did not escape that they’d probably meet the same fate as her parents. Apparently killed by freaking Shifters. Werewolves! Jeez, she knew about them. Everyone did, but she hadn’t exactly had firsthand experience with them until the Police called to tell her that her parents had been killed. She’d been in shock that they were dead but the ensuing investigation had been a joke.
Why? Because the authorities were useless. What did they do about the deaths? Absolutely nothing. Not a damn thing. Nope. They had told her that it was up to some Wolf Council to deal with them, that the human police could not go after Wolves, let alone rogues. Yeah, thanks for that.
Now here she was running for her life, miles from civilization, and she was bone tired. Being on the go all night would do that to a girl, and although she couldn’t hear them, she was taking no chances, so on she jogged, Leia her only companion.
Her shoulders hurt, skin rubbed raw by the straps of her backpack, after hours of trying to escape the damn rogues that came calling at the farm. The farm that had been repossessed, but where she’d still been staying, breaking in and sleeping in her own bed. After all, she had nowhere else to go, nobody to turn to for help, what was she supposed to do? Sleep rough?
“Be doing that now, wontcha?” she gasped out as she carried on behind the only being she could count on, the one that showed her unconditional love and devotion: Leia.
She dreaded the thought of the Wolves catching up to them because she knew, without a shadow of doubt, that her dog would fight to the death to protect her and she could not bear that thought. It was her job to take care of her pet, not the other way around, but she was under no illusion that her German Shepherd would
